If you speak to any paramedic or truck accident lawyer they will tell you just how raw and real the consequences are of an accident which involves a truck. In general these vehicles are safe, and they only make up a very small percentage of the total number of crashes which happen on our roads. With this being said however, it is the seriousness of the accidents which we cannot avoid, and when they involve big and heavy trucks, you can well imagine just how devastating this can be on victims.
There are a number of reasons as to how these accidents happen, and these are the most common reasons.
Speeding
Speeding in any vehicle is still the most common cause of accidents on the road, and trucking is no different. In fact the biggest issues when it comes to speeding is older trucks. The reason for this is that newer trucks have speed limiters which do not allow the driver to go over a certain speed. When it comes to older trucks however, these measures aren’t in place.
Distracted Driving
The introduction of technology such as dash cams has done a lot to keep people safe, but other tech equipment serves to do the opposite. Distracted driving is a big concern on the road and very often we see accidents caused because drivers are too busy on their phones and not focused on driving.
Hours Violations
A commercial driver is not permitted to drive for more than 11 hours at a time in this country, and this is so that they do not get fatigued and cause accidents. Unfortunately however there are many drivers who will push on beyond those limits, in order to make more money. Whilst we cannot fault the ambition of these drivers, they are no longer considered as safe once they breach the 11 hour mark. Those who do are often responsible for crashes on the road.
Road Construction
Whilst road construction is there to improve the roads, poor planning can often result in accidents in cooling trucks. The reason for this is that the size of the trucks are not factored in when the construction team is undertaking their work, and trucks are not able to maneuver around the tighter spaces, or react in time when arriving at a steady speed.
Cargo Loading
Another very common reason why these accidents happen is that the cargo has not been loaded well. This either means that the weight ratio of the cargo is out of kilter, or that the cargo has not been properly secured. If either of these instances happen, the driver is going to find it very difficult indeed to stay in control of the vehicle when traveling at high speeds. This is in the top 3 reasons for all trucking accidents.
These are the main reasons behind the number of truck accidents which we see on the road each year.